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Blood and Thunder
Season Twelve Episode Ten Preceded by: Season Twelve, Episode Nine: Pimp My Ride Followed by: Season Twelve, Season Finale: Not With a Whimper, But With a Bang Summary :::Note: Yes, this episode has its title ''entirely for the purpose of titling the eventual pirate follow-up ep "Victory at Sea."'' : The party has some preparation to do before they can take on the pirates. Cicero does some shopping with party funds while Aether tries to sell a valuable painting she claimed during loot distribution. The various party members who can appraise figure that it's worth about 10,000 GP. : On her own Aether meets a gnome whose offer is far too low. She asks Avi for help, and he calls up one of his old connections. This 450 year old high elf, Myavain Maernmator, is an elder of Bisau. His offer is closer to the true worth of the painting, and Aether agrees to sell it to him. : The party investigates the ship's battle-readiness. No one in the current party is equipped to repair or heal the ship in an efficient manner, and they will probably have to hire a third party to do so. A bit of asking around reveals that Hodgekin Nymphmoodle, a gnome, is the best guy in town for this kind of work. He is usually to be found at the Dragon's Head bar, so the party heads there. : They find him at the bar, drinking away. Avi introduces himself and buys him a drink. The bartender refuses to believe that the Prince Avimeus is sitting before him, so Avi pulls out his Rod of Rulership and freezes the man where he stands. Privacy thus assured, the party starts to hash out terms with Nymphmoodle. : He's excited about the idea of working on a Speed of Thought, so his rates to be on retainer are quite reasonable. He mentions that there is one faster method of ship transport: plane-gate propulsion, in which the ship pops repeatedly in and out of the Astral Plane. It's so dangerous only Neogi spelljammers can use it, so the Thought is still the fastest ship available to bipeds. The party decides to hire Nymphmoodle. : Leilah calls her aunt to ask about the pirates. Anahita Nubia is not looking too well, as her waters are being poisoned by the salt leaking into them. She is happy to see Leilah, though. She asks that her niece not do anything that would harm the earth. The storm elementals which the pirates are using are not natural to the area, and they react "as they must" to the unfamiliar surroundings. Leilah thanks her aunt for her advice. : Preparations for the fight begin in earnest. First Leilah plans to turn herself ethereal and scout around the pirates' camp in secret, then the party will fly around and drop rocks enchanted with Darkness and various other spells. Leilah sets Cicero to work making more enchanted rocks. She also makes some fire seeds. : The party flies to the Broken Cove and lets Leilah fly out for her scouting mission. There are several islands and ships around the cove, but most of the buildings are on the cove itself. There is a small city of interconnected houses, as well as a large pirate mess hall. Leilah also finds the armory, but her Foresight warns her not to try to enter it, even through the wall, ceiling, or floor. She returns to the ship. : Ashra makes two illusionary ships to flank the Thought. She designs them to look more flashy than intimidating, trying to pass off the whole trio as the ill-equipped toys of a foolish nobleman. Avi takes the ship forward. : Some of the pirate ships take the bait, and they trade cannonfire. Most of the ships shoot for the Thought itself, but a few are fooled by the illusions. When the Thought pulls over the houses, Cicero, Aether, and Leilah start throwing the chains of rocks overboard. Ashra notices the commotion below with her spyglass. : Avi steers the Thought around the cove. At a predetermined point, Aether accepts casts of Invisibility and Fly and jumps overboard, slipping away into the darkness. She is on a one-woman mission to do as much damage as she can. Cannons start firing from the ground towards the Thought, and Avi steers away from the cove. : The Thought ducks into a dark tunnel, landing in the swift waters. As they surge along, an abandoned ship somehow draws up alongside them, and Ashra and Leilah jump onto it. It feels eerie, and Leilah shouts "Get ready!" : Then, before anyone else has a chance to react, an air elemental appears, reaches for its captive cousin, and is immediately Banished by Leilah. : "Be ready for WHAT?" : Everyone gets back onto the Thought before it emerges from the tunnel, and Avi begins to fly away home. Leilah Sends a challenge to the leader of the pirates: a fair fight to decide this all, terms to be decided. She does not receive a reply. Category:Episodes Category:Season Twelve Episodes